Tips for Upcoming College Freshmen

[Mel JBB]

The end of summer is approaching and I'm sure many of you will be starting your first year in college. Here's a few tips from my experience to start you off on the right foot:

* Do not register for any classes before 10am. You might be thinking "well in High School I started class at 7:45am...I'm sure I could handle an 8am class in college." Don't do it! There will be too much going on (especially in the dorms) for you to do your homework and be in bed by midnight.

* If you have the choice to live in the dorms or live at home, go live in the dorms! You'll make some amazing friendships along the way. Plus, if you ever need anything in the last minute (like a printer), you can just walk down the hallways and ask.

* Do sports or join a club. All colleges have some sort of intramural sports or PE classes. Definitely be a part of those.

* Do not illegally download music from the dorms. They're watching you. (I got busted 3 times

)

* If you can't figure out what major you want to do, take a quick visit at your campus career center. I recommend taking the Strong Interest Inventory test. They'll help you narrow down your options to majors that suit your personality.

* Your advisor is your best friend. He/she will help you pick the right classes, the right professors and the right schedule to spread out your difficult classes. I was a retard and avoided my advisor...two quarters in a row I took the most difficult classes back to back and my grades suffered.

* Don't fall into the trap of majoring in something you have no passion for. I've seen a lot of friends that majored in something like engineering because it pays well / pleases the parents...and late in their college career, they realized they have no desire to do that for the rest of their lives. They ended up starting over completely.

* Do something fun and PRODUCTIVE on the side. I started JBB for fun and it blossomed into something great. The real life lessons I learned from JBB were 10x much more valuable than anything I learned from any textbook.

* Choose a professor that suits you. The worst thing you can do is take classes taught be crappy professors or professors that don't match your learning style. For example, some professors want you to figure out textbook problems yourself and THEN lecture on it the next day. Other professors will lecture you on the new material FIRST, and THEN assign homework to test you on it.

* How do you find out about professors? Advisors, word of mouth and professor ratings sites.

* Do NOT ditch any of your classes. Missing class means you miss turning in that day's homework assignment and missing the lesson needed to do the next assignment. Also, classes are paid for out of your parents' pocket. If you break it down, each class can easily cost a hundred bucks or more. Ditching class means pissing away your college tuition.

* Do NOT ditch any of your classes. Even if you go there and end up falling asleep halfway through class, you'll at least get a heads up on upcoming quizzes and homework assignments. Professors have the right to modify their syllabus and move test dates...you'll never know about these unless you go to class.

 

[Run BJM]

I won't be a college freshman until next year but I'll keep this in mind. Voodoo should be coming through here in the next hour or two giving advice for drug experimentation and trafficking. Can't wait!

 

[Mamba]

When does Umair give facial hair grooming 101?

Great tips Mel, I'll be sure to think of this when I transfer to a 4 year. I know taking a classs at 7:30 AM @ a JC was a pain in the balls, I couldn't imagine what it would be like with the dorm life.

 

[Chutney]

www.ratemyprofessors.com (a good site, if you're looking for info on your profs)

Those are all good tips. I can second the importance of reaching every class and checking up with your academic advisor a lot. They help a lot.

 

[Mr. J]

I'm starting my first year of college this month (classes start August 29th). As a rule in St. John's, freshman starting their first semester aren't allowed to change their schedules, so I have a couple of classes that start at 7:30 AM. That sucks, I guess.

But since it's my money paying for college, I don't think I'll be as lazy as I was in high school.

I know you and Shape went to California, right? That's a pretty good school; how did you manage to stay on top of your classes and have time to party, play sports, and chill?

Thanks for the tips though, I'm sure I'll find these helpful.

 

[Ming637]

What are you majoring at St. John's? And what classes are you taking?

 

[igotask8board]

I use www.pickaprof.com and www.ratemyprofessor.com

pickaprof acctually tells you how many students took that professor, all there grades, and which semesters they teach.

 

[Mr. J]

<div class="quote_poster">Asian Zero Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What are you majoring at St. John's? And what classes are you taking?</div>
I don't have a major yet. I think I want to do something in business though. The list of classes I'm going to take are online and I don't feel like entering that long pin# and student ID thing, so this is from what I remember:

Intro to Economics
Pre-Legal Studies
Discover New York
World History
World Literature
Public Speaking

With the exception of the first two, all of my classes are core, meaning they are required by all students to graduate.

 

[Trip]

<div class="quote_poster">Mel JBB Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">
* Do not register for any classes before 10am. You might be thinking "well in High School I started class at 7:45am...I'm sure I could handle an 8am class in college." Don't do it! There will be too much going on (especially in the dorms) for you to do your homework and be in bed by midnight.</div>

My first class is 9:30 in the morning, on Mon-Wed-Fri. Tuesday I have 1 class in the afternoon for two hours and I get Thursdays off. Plus my first class (calc) would be a 3 minute walk from my res building. So I think my schedule is pretty sweet.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">* If you have the choice to live in the dorms or live at home, go live in the dorms! You'll make some amazing friendships along the way. Plus, if you ever need anything in the last minute (like a printer), you can just walk down the hallways and ask.</div>Double room, 2 bathrooms per floor. Big ass dining hall. I lucked out and got my first choice in the lottery.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">* Do sports or join a club. All colleges have some sort of intramural sports or PE classes. Definitely be a part of those.</div>I'm interested in a few already. Intramural basketball is a must, and I'm thinking of being a tour guide and/or a campus night patrol team member.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">* Do not illegally download music from the dorms. They're watching you. (I got busted 3 times

)</div>The States have it tougher but at Western Ontario I get 1 GB of external downloading per day and unlimited internal downloading. DC++ ftw!

Thanks for the advice Mel. Any tips on what to bring and what not to bring to res?

 

[Shapecity]

Most important tip. Don't be in a rush to graduate and start working. College is one of the pinnacles of your lifetime so make the most of it. Don't put pressure on yourself to graduate in 4 years.

Also don't get involved in any serious relationships in college until maybe your senior year.

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">* Do not register for any classes before 10am. You might be thinking "well in High School I started class at 7:45am...I'm sure I could handle an 8am class in college." Don't do it! There will be too much going on (especially in the dorms) for you to do your homework and be in bed by midnight.</div>

Agreed. A lot of my work freshman year got done between 9 AM and noon, depending on whether or not I had a class during that time that day. I barely did any studying at night, because like Mel said, there was just so much going on.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">* Do not illegally download music from the dorms.</div>

Amen. At U of M, they'd expel you if it ever became a problem.

The smart thing to do is to buy an iPod before you go down, load it up with hundreds of songs, then just update it every time you come home for breaks.

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Also don't get involved in any serious relationships in college until maybe your senior year.</div>

I don't know about that. If you meet someone who you connect with as an underclassmen, then that's great, imo.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I won't be a college freshman until next year but I'll keep this in mind. Voodoo should be coming through here in the next hour or two giving advice for drug experimentation and trafficking. Can't wait!</div>

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^^^Listen to the man. Don't do drugs.

Seriously, college is a time of fun and experimentation, but don't let yourself become addicted to anything. I don't advocate the regular use of marijuana (for everyone at least), because a lot of people just can't handle it. It's not uncommon to get really lazy and lethargic on it. Yes, the health risks are not half as bad as the government propaganda would have you believe, but the truth is, it impairs your judgement and can just make you very comfortable with sitting around and not doing anything all day. You don't want to be reclusive and unproductive in the most important time of your life as far as both social networking and education go. You need to find a balance between work and play from the start.

Another thing I think people should confront but not many people talk about is homesickness. I know that most of you going off to college for the first time will love the freedom, but at times, you'll also want to be at home with your family where everything is familiar. It's important to think of this as not cutting ties though but more like a vacation. If you keep a positive mindset about it, you can avoid the homesickness.

Most of you are probably anxious right now, and that's really common. Pretty much everyone else is just as anxious and as eager to make first impressions. Again, it's all about the mindset. You can get rid of social anxiety just by approaching it from a different perspective.

 

[Bahir]

So what's US college like course-wise? Do you jump straight into a program (like say engineering or business) and get a schedule of courses you must take, or do (as I understand it) have one or two years without a major or whatever, when you just pick and read courses that may or may not prepare you for the major that you want to pick?

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Agreed. A lot of my work freshman year got done between 9 AM and noon, depending on whether or not I had a class during that time that day. I barely did any studying at night, because like Mel said, there was just so much going on.



Amen. At U of M, they'd expell you if it ever became a problem.

The smart thing to do is to buy an iPod before you go down, load it up with hundreds of songs, then just update it every time you come home for breaks.



I don't know about that. If you meet someone who you connect with as an underclassmen, then that's great, imo.


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^^^Listen to the man. Don't do drugs.

</div>

College is the time to experiment and experience as much self-growth as possible. Being tied down to just one girl forces you to sacrifice a lot of freedom. More often than not, your tastes change from the time you entered college to the time you graduate.

 

[Really Lost One]

I'm not going to college for another 3 years, but does anyone know any good programs for student loans? I don't think my family has enough money to afford 4 years of college

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not going to college for another 3 years, but does anyone know any good programs for student loans? I don't think my family has enough money to afford 4 years of college</div>

You can always go to a JC for two years, finish all the b.s. general ed classes, figure out what you REALLY want to do and then finish your major at a University.

 

[Bahir]

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You can always go to a JC for two years, finish all the b.s. general ed classes, figure out what you REALLY want to do and then finish your major at a University.</div>

But if you go to a normal college/uni(?) you start a program with a set schedule of courses?

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">College is the time to experiment and experience as much self-growth as possible. Being tied down to just one girl forces you to sacrifice a lot of freedom. More often than not, your tastes change from the time you entered college to the time you graduate.</div>

I could not disagree more. A connection is a connection, regardless of how old you are. I met my girl when I was in grade school. We just got back together this summer and have never been in a stronger relationship.

To each his own, but I don't see any reason why you can't be free and actively searching for a relationship as an underclassmen.

<div class="quote_poster">Bahir Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">But if you go to a normal college/uni(?) you start a program with a set schedule of courses?</div>

Your freshman year, you take core level classes (ie: Intro to English, Intro to Applied Calculus, etc.). It varies from person to person, but you usually don't declare your major until after two years of college, and that's when you start taking pretty much only courses dedicated to that major.

BTW - Damn, this thread has grown... fast. I edited my post above, looked down, and three people had posted under me.

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Bahir Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">But if you go to a normal college/uni(?) you start a program with a set schedule of courses?</div>

Unfortunately it's not like this. My political science teacher made a great analogy about the politics at any school in the US.

Every department wants a piece of the pie to help students become "more well-rounded." Even if the student has no interest in chemistry, science, or advanced english, trigonometry etc.

Each department is funded based on the amount of students enrolled in their courses, so each department tries to get a curriculum passed with the board of directors at a school.

The board of directors also have a self-interest in prolonging a student's time in college, because it generates more money for the school.

This is why I usually recommend for people to save their money and go to a JC for a year or two. Get all the b.s. courses you're not interested in, but are forced to take out of the way, and then when you get to a University you're ready to focus strictly on your major.

Another problem with filling your course work at a major University is the lack of availability to get a course you need to graduate. There's only 'x' amount of seats available per semester, and everyone needs that course in order to graduate. I remember I had to schedule an entire semester around a geology class. It was ridiculous.

 

[Whatthef?]

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Most important tip. Don't be in a rush to graduate and start working. College is one of the pinnacles of your lifetime so make the most of it. Don't put pressure on yourself to graduate in 4 years.

Also don't get involved in any serious relationships in college until maybe your senior year.</div>

Ditto that. Take six years at least, run up student loans if you have to. Don't think about money, major in something you enjoy doing no matter how much it starts out paying. The real world sucks no matter how much you make if you don't really enjoy what you are doing. Take advantage of year overseas progams. Take literature classes, once you graduate you will have very little time to read. Nail every girl who looks your way, no matter how plain she looks now, later you'll think damn why didn't I hit that.

 

[thedude9990]

<div class="quote_poster">whatthef? Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Ditto that. Take six years at least, run up student loans if you have to. Don't think about money, major in something you enjoy doing no matter how much it starts out paying. The real world sucks no matter how much you make if you don't really enjoy what you are doing. Take advantage of year overseas progams. Take literature classes, once you graduate you will have very little time to read. Nail every girl who looks your way, no matter how plain she looks now, later you'll think damn why didn't I hit that.

</div>

what if she has herpies???

i have one more year left in high school i can't wait for college. and Shape my cousin went to a JC and after 2 years transfered to WVU and they only accepted 1/2 her credits and made her re take some classes.

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">thedude9990 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">what if she has herpies???

i have one more year left in high school i can't wait for college. and Shape my cousin went to a JC and after 2 years transfered to WVU and they only accepted 1/2 her credits and made her re take some classes.</div>

Yeah it happens, which is why you need to work with your counselor and maximize the units you can carry over to the University you wanted to end up at.

JC's work with all the major schools, and your counselor can put you on the right program to get you where you want to be.

 

[Chutney]

I never knew why they were so adamant on producing "well-rounded students," but that explanation makes a lot of sense. Distribution requirements (what they call it at my uni) are the most retarded things, though. I had to take this b.s. science course last year to fullfill that. It ended up messing my GPA a little, because professor knew the class was a waste of time and totally mailed it in.

 

[Run BJM]

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah it happens, which is why you need to work with your counselor and maximize the units you can carry over to the University you wanted to end up at.

JC's work with all the major schools, and your counselor can put you on the right program to get you where you want to be.</div>

Yeah the California JC's have some awesome programs to get kids into some very good colleges. I know a guy who's going to UCLA this year after being at Skyline College (community college generally regarded as the shittiest of all the ones on the BA peninsula) for his freshman and sophomore years.

Also, dunno if this is true of public schools but my sister got a bunch of "rules" changed just by constantly bitching every day to whoever controls certain things. i.e. she went to USF last year as a freshman and wanted to be roommates with one of her friends for her sophomore year but they had some regulation about how they couldn't do it. She just kept going to the office that runs those things and bitching every day and they allowed her to do it just to get her to STFU. Sort of did the same thing with transferring her credits to Loyola Marymount, at first they didn't accept the credits but she kept appealing it and they finally just accepted them. So, thedude, you should tell your friend to bitch them out constantly and see if they change anything, its worth a shot.

Also, for you college guys do you think its better to go to a school thats got a better reputation academically or somewhere where you think you'd fit better? Obviously if you can go to a top notch school you'd take it but what if its the difference between like UC Davis and Long Beach State and you like the atmosphere, location, etc. of LBSU more. Would it be better to go to the place you like better or go where you'll, theoretically, get the better education?

Also, am I right in assuming once you get into college its pretty much all the same (academically)? Again, obviously there will be a difference if you're going to Stanford, Berkeley, Ivy League, etc. but if its a mid-range UC compared to a high level CSU is there much difference? Obviously the UCs are harder to get into but does that actually make what they teach better or is it just that they have a better reputation?

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah the California JC's have some awesome programs to get kids into some very good colleges. I know a guy who's going to UCLA this year after being at Skyline College (community college generally regarded as the shittiest of all the ones on the BA peninsula) for his freshman and sophomore years.

Also, dunno if this is true of public schools but my sister got a bunch of "rules" changed just by constantly bitching every day to whoever controls certain things. i.e. she went to USF last year as a freshman and wanted to be roommates with one of her friends for her sophomore year but they had some regulation about how they couldn't do it. She just kept going to the office that runs those things and bitching every day and they allowed her to do it just to get her to STFU. Sort of did the same thing with transferring her credits to Loyola Marymount, at first they didn't accept the credits but she kept appealing it and they finally just accepted them. So, thedude, you should tell your friend to bitch them out constantly and see if they change anything, its worth a shot.

Also, for you college guys do you think its better to go to a school thats got a better reputation academically or somewhere where you think you'd fit better? Obviously if you can go to a top notch school you'd take it but what if its the difference between like UC Davis and Long Beach State and you like the atmosphere, location, etc. of LBSU more. Would it be better to go to the place you like better or go where you'll, theoretically, get the better education?

Also, am I right in assuming once you get into college its pretty much all the same (academically)? Again, obviously there will be a difference if you're going to Stanford, Berkeley, Ivy League, etc. but if its a mid-range UC compared to a high level CSU is there much difference? Obviously the UCs are harder to get into but does that actually make what they teach better or is it just that they have a better reputation?</div>

It really depends on the two schools you are considering. Personally I went for the college I felt I'd benefit the most from. I got accepted to both Cal Berkley and Cal Poly SLO business schools. I was very familiar with Cal's campus, because a lot of my friends went there already. These two colleges were complete contrasts and in the end I chose Cal Poly SLO.

1. The business college was brand new and they had recruited a lot of well respected professors from all over the world.

2. They built one of the top three computer science departments (at the time) and really pushed technology on the students.

3. The class size ratios were a lot better, 30 to 1 in a class versus Cal auditoriums with a couple hundred students.

4. They stressed working with groups and hands on learning by doing real life projects. I'm a lot better in this type of environment versus memorizing a text book and passing scantron tests.

5. Less distractions

6. They had a strong finance department, which was linked with a lot of the investment banks for internships.

The only drawback was after I graduated, because there was still a stigma attached with Cal Poly SLO as a business-agriculture school. The school hadn't done a good job of marketing the business school to the banking industry, I heard it's really improved now though.

I got passed up on a few promotions because of the college I went to. There's a lot of corporate "window dressing" especially in banking and finance. Even if you're more qualified than someone who graduated from Stanford or Princeton, they will give the benefit of the doubt them because of the college name.

I'd research how companies you might potentially work for view the college of your choice. I know Long Beach State is recognized for their sports medicine and physical therapy. If you wanted to go into that field, LBC would be a smart choice.

 

[Casual]

College freshman don't need any advice. They'll scurry around like little hamsters for a year before realizing that the most important thing is having fun.

And having fun doesn't mean partying all the time at the expense of your grades.

 

[Karma]

Well, my problem has always been finding a balance between school and fun. I'm a pretty good student, but when I start slacking off, I get into a pretty deep state of slacking, and it takes a while for me to get back into form. I don't think I can afford to **** up my GPA in my first year so for me, my first year is going to be the one where I have to focus the most because I'm trying to get into a co-op program.

I'm not even going to lie, I'm pretty damn excited about the whole experience. And to be honest, it's the girls that I'm looking forward to more then anything else. In highschool, I was always very picky about girls and only went out with a couple because I didn't wanna waste my time being with someone whom I wouldn't last more than 2 weeks with. At this point, I really don't care. One of my friends (she's a girl) would like me to not turn into a manwhore during University, but I'm really looking to be quite experimental during my first 2-3 years in University. I'm not going to get back being 18-22 again, so might as well have fun with it because once I do my grad school, I won't have time to be experimenting.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
* Do not register for any classes before 10am. You might be thinking "well in High School I started class at 7:45am...I'm sure I could handle an 8am class in college." Don't do it! There will be too much going on (especially in the dorms) for you to do your homework and be in bed by midnight.
</div>

I have ONE class before 10, and it's intro to philosophy. That was the only timeslot left over that fit in with the rest of my schedule. It's at 8:30 to 9:50 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Just a general question, which types of classes do you guys perfer/reccomend more, the ones that are split over the week in shorter segments (i.e- Intro to Philosophy Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30-9:50) or the 3 hour long lectures? Every single one of my classes are split segments because I will probably end up getting zoned out during a 3 hour lecture, so I'd rather have it like this.

Anyways, great tips and I'm loving this thread. I'm pretty stoked about moving in and what not, but I'm in a double room (even though I'm with with a friend I went to HS with) when I wanted to be in a suite style.

I got more than enough money on loan from OSAP, I'm saving up some money over the break, and I have a thousand dollar scholarship in addition to around 2000 in RESP. I think that should cover everything for first year.

Oh, and my most important question for you guys. I don't know if you guys in the States work the same way (probably do), but you guys have meal plans there as well right? I got the lightest meal option (which was still $1500 per semester!), and I'm worried that won't be enough to fill me for the whole semester. The reason I picked a lighter option was because my friends dad works near my Uni so he said we can just get food from his store.

 

[huevonkiller]

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Most important tip. Don't be in a rush to graduate and start working. College is one of the pinnacles of your lifetime so make the most of it. Don't put pressure on yourself to graduate in 4 years.

Also don't get involved in any serious relationships in college until maybe your senior year.</div>

But what if you get involved with a really hot girl that you get along well with (I always aim for this btw)? I don't see the point in ending that kind of serious relationship; one can't really find a better scenario.

As for choosing professors, I can handle almost any kind of professor. I only worry about the time my classes start at, not the professor (I'm going to be a sophomore in college btw). I'm also a morning person so I can be in school as early as 9:00 am on a daily basis (maybe 8). I recall that in the last half of my freshmen year, I always started school at 11:00 am and that was such a waste of time.

 

[Mel JBB]

<div class="quote_poster">MrJ Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I know you and Shape went to California, right? That's a pretty good school; how did you manage to stay on top of your classes and have time to party, play sports, and chill?</div>

I went to Cal Poly Pomona and graduated in 6 years. I pretty much wasted my first couple years there just screwing around and getting into the "F it!" mentality. It wasn't until I got academically disqualified that I finally buckled down, got back into Cal Poly and started acing my classes.

I used to think that I had ADD and I would use that as a scapegoat. But when I got academically disqualified (aka kicked out), I realized I just had myself open to too many distractions, like a loud ass text message ringtone and being IMed on AIM while I'm doing homework. I learned to turn that stuff off and take myself away from distractions so I could focus.

It all came down to discipline and motivation.

My motivation was to get myself out of the hole without my dad finding out I pissed away 2 years of tuition.

<div class="quote_poster">MrJ Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Public Speaking</div>

I LOVED my public speaking class. I delayed that class as long as I could because I was too shy....but in final year I realized, "damn, there's a lot of FOBs in this class that can barely speak english. All I have to do is go up and speak english properly and I'll already better than half of the class."

The class was cake once I realized that. And a whole lot of fun too.

<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Any tips on what to bring and what not to bring to res?</div>

A microwave. The communal microwaves in the dorms are freakin NASTY. Oh, and shower shoes too....lotsa lonely college guys do lotsa things in the showers...

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Most important tip. Don't be in a rush to graduate and start working. College is one of the pinnacles of your lifetime so make the most of it. Don't put pressure on yourself to graduate in 4 years. </div>

Like I said earlier, I spent 6 years in college to graduate with just one degree. Two years were wasted but I needed that lesson of failure to reassess my priorities. Ultimately, I succeeded because I learned from my failures. Absolutely no regrets.

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Seriously, college is a time of fun and experimentation, but don't let yourself become addicted to anything. I don't advocate the regular use of marijuana (for everyone at least), because a lot of people just can't handle it. It's not uncommon to get really lazy and lethargic on it. Yes, the health risks are not half as bad as the government propaganda would have you believe, but the truth is, it impairs your judgement and can just make you very comfortable with sitting around and not doing anything all day. You don't want to be reclusive and unproductive in the most important time of your life as far as both social networking and education go. You need to find a balance between work and play from the start.</div>

Whatever you do, you can do it responsibly. It's all about moderation and realizing there's a time & place for everything. If you're gonna experiment on things, do it in college. I'm not gonna lie...I've done my fair share of that kinda stuff, but I've put my college days behind me and moved on.

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Most of you are probably anxious right now, and that's really common. Pretty much everyone else is just as anxious and as eager to make first impressions. Again, it's all about the mindset. You can get rid of social anxiety just by approaching it from a different perspective.</div>

Remember, there are tons of freshmen that will feel lost, homesick and anxious just like you. Once you realize that, its real easy to meet people.

Most of the guys I know were from the basketball court or from the dorms. Living in the same location and having the same interests is enough to make a lot of friends.

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You can always go to a JC for two years, finish all the b.s. general ed classes, figure out what you REALLY want to do and then finish your major at a University.</div>

One of my friends struggled in high school and barely got into college. He worked his butt off in JC and is in route to graduate from UCLA (which is the college that rejected quite a few of the top students in my high school class).

My dad graduated from a meh college in the Philippines and he turned out GREAT in the end.

Basically what I'm trying to get at is you can go to a meh college/JC but you can still be very successful later on in life.

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">huevonkiller Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">But what if you get involved with a really hot girl that you get along well with (I always aim for this btw)? I don't see the point in ending that kind of serious relationship; one can't really find a better scenario.

As for choosing professors, I can handle almost any kind of professor. I only worry about the time my classes start at, not the professor (I'm going to be a sophomore in college btw). I'm also a morning person so I can be in school as early as 9:00 am on a daily basis (maybe 8). I recall that in the last half of my freshmen year, I always started school at 11:00 am and that was such a waste of time.</div>

How do you know about love at only 19, how do you know what you really want unless you experience as much as possible?

Finding a hot girl who has similar interests as you is fantastic, but why get into a serious relationship at such a young age?

You're not even 21 yet and even if partying and going to clubs or bars doesn't interest you now, you will go through a stage in your life when partying is priority #1.

There's no real formula to it, but I've seen it all and experienced a lot myself. I'm just trying to point out common pitfalls people make in college.

College should be a time for you to be selfish, enjoy a complete sense of freedom, and indulge yourself. Once you figure out what makes you happy and you accept who you are, then you'll be able to find the "right" girl without any regrets.

 

[Voodoo Child]

I think you're just jaded, shape.

I think a person can find true love at any age.